Strawberry Jam Tray Bake

The day is hot and you just want to sit on the porch and relax with an ice cold glass of lemonade . . .
You just made a fresh batch of strawberry jam, using up the last of the berries and you have friends invited over for afternoon tea . . .

You have decided to go on a Saturday afternoon picnic with your loved one(s) and you want a tasty little sweet to pack into your basket . . .

You're dragging the kiddies and the hubbie to the beach for the day and you want something to serve as a tasty treat in between the ice creams and ice lollies . . .

You just are in the mood for a little bite of something sweet and satisfying . . . no matter the mood or occasion, these tasty little treats fit the bill. Quick, easy and oh so very scrummy !!!

*Strawberry Jam Tray Bake*
Makes 16 to 24 squares
Printable Recipe

These are perfect for taking on picnics or for enjoying on the porch on a hot summer afternoon with glasses of iced cold lemonade. They are also great to serve at tea parties. Hmmm . . . these are just delicious no matter what!

500g sweet shortcrust pastry (1 pound)
6 TBS strawberry jam
200g butter, softened (7 ounces, scant half pound or 14 TBS)
200g caster sugar (1 cup)
4 medium sized free range eggs
100g ground almonds (1 1/4 cup)
100g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (3/4 cup plus 1 TBS)
1 tsp almond extract
150g sifted icing sugar (1 1/4 cup)
the juice of 1/2 lemon


Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to fit into a 12 by 8 or a 9 inch square baking pan. You want it to fit the base and partway up the sides. Place into the pan and then spread the jam evenly over all.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk until they are smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1/3 of the ground almonds after each addition. Add the flour and the remaining almonds. Mix well. Stir in the almond extract. Pour the mixture over the jam, spreading to make an even layer.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen, firm and golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave in the tin.

Stir together the icing sugar and enough of the lemon juice to make a drizzle icing. Drizzle this decoratively over top of the squares. Allow to set before cutting into squares to serve.

Gooseberry Crumble

"You can't grow hairs on a duck egg,
Hairs only grow on an ape,
And it's only the hairs on a goosegog,
That stop it from being a grape."
~author unknown




Both fruity and floral, the scent of simmering gooseberries is one of my favourite summer scents. They do closely resemble green grapes except that they are covered in funny little hairs, and don't come in clusters. One would almost expect them to feel all prickly when you touch them, but they don't . . .



The gooseberry season is very short, only lasting from 3 to 4 weeks, so it is best to grab them while you can. We have a lovely u-pick place not far from us, and so we pick lots, cleaning them and putting them up in the freezer in freezer bags to bring out in the coming winter months and remind us of these warm and sunny summer days when the cold winds are blowing . . . I open freeze them on baking trays and then I can just pour out as many as I need without having to thaw out the lot.



I like to top and tail my gooseberries before eating them, although it's not really necessary. It's very easy to do with a pair of kitchen scissors. (I do this before freezing them) Rinse well in running water to remove any dust or debris. Then lightly pat them dry with some paper kitchen toweling.



Eaten raw . . . they are hard and sour, but when cooked ( add some sugar, or honey and a splash of elderflower cordial) they have a wonderfully muscat flavour. Simply stewed, they make delightful fruit fool and they are also wonderful spooned over cold vanilla ice cream.

But my most favourite way to eat them of all is this . . .



*Gooseberry Crumble*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is an excellent summer pudding. Who doesn't like crumble? This is a wonderfully delicious way to showcase these lovely berries that are only available to eat fresh for a few weeks durin gthe summer months. Elderflower helps to bring out and enhance their rich wine-like flavour.



2 pounds of gooseberries (4 to 5 cups)
4 to 6 TBS of caster sugar (depending on how tart or sweet you like your gooseberries)
3 TBS elderflower cordial
Crumble Topping:
175g plain flour
85g butter
50g rolled oats
55g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Top and tail your gooseberries and place them into a shallow ovenproof glass baking dish. Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over top and drizzle with the cordial.

Place the flour in a food processor, add the butter, cut into cubes, and then blitz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and pulse a couple of times until mixed together well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over top of the berries.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and cooked and the crumble topping is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.

Serve warm, on it's own or with lashings of custard, pouring cream or a tasty dollop of creme fraiche.

Lancashire Hot Pot

Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare. It is sometimes served at parties because, not only is it easy to prepare for a large number of people, it is also relatively inexpensive.

There are many regional variations, and it is frequently found listed amongst the usual pub grub dishes in various hostelries around Britain. The basic recipe consists of a mix made up of meat and vegetables (carrot, turnip, potatoes, onions or leek) which are then covered with a buttery thatch of sliced potato or pastry. (Don't you just love the idea of a "thatched" roof of potato covering the top?)The type of meat to be used in a true Lancashire hotpot is a matter of some controversy, with many being of the opinion that it should be lamb (with optional lamb kidneys) and some thinking it should be beef. As much food can be added as will fit in the pot.

Flavour can be enhanced with seasoning; salt and pepper would be the most traditional, and any other ingredients available in the kitchen. Some stock is usually added to cover the contents while it cooks to help keep them moist and aid in the tenderizing, although some recipes rely on a well sealed pot on a low heat to retain enough moisture within the meat, onion and potatoes.

The hot pot referred to is a brown pottery dish with straight sides used to cook casseroles in British cuisine. The basic recipe formerly included oysters at one point, when they used to be more affordable, but more often than not nowadays they are left out. (Good thing too because I am not overly fond of the little boogers, ooops I mean buggers!)

Can you believe that in all the seven and a half years I have been over here I had yet to experience this culinary delight until yesterday when I baked my very own hot pot for the first time???? Neither can I, but I can tell you this, it won't be another seven and a half years before I bake another one. It was absolutely delicious! I now know why people line up at the bar at the Rover's Return to sample this Lancashire piece of golden cuisine!

*Lancashire Hot Pot*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I guess you could call this the English version of Irish stew. One pot cooking of the most delicious persuasion.

1 TBS olive oil
750g diced lamb
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1/2 medium swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
500ml lamb stock
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
750g of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat in batches and fry it until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish (one with a lid) as it browns. Set aside.

Once all the meat it browned and removed from the skillet add the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Return the lamb to the skillet and pour over the stock. Add the Worchestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix it all in well and then carefully pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Tuck the two sprigs of thyme into the mixture, burying it.

Cover the top of the mixture with a layer of half of the sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then dot with butter. Finish layering with the remaining potatoes and adding a final dusting of salt and pepper and dot once again with some butter. Put the lid on.

Bake in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake for a further hour until the meat is very tender and the "thatch" is nicely browned in places and tender as well. Serve hot spooned out onto hot plates along with seasonal green vegetables on the side and plenty of crusty bread and butter to mop up the delicious juices.

Toad In The Hole

A delightful and tasty recipe I discovered shortly after I arrived here was a lovely dish called Toad in the Hole. I had often heard about this British delicacy but had never had any idea of what it was let alone ever had the chance to try it. I soon learned that it had nothing to do with holes, dirt, or even toads for that matter!

The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.

From wilkepedia I learned that Toad in the hole originated in the town of Alnmouth in Northumberland. Alnmouth has a links golf course which can at certain times of the year be overrun with Natterjack toads. It was at just such a time, that a golf tournament was being played and the leader made his put only to have the ball promply ejected by a rather vexed toad that had been quietly asleep in the bottom of the cup. On hearing of the players misfortune, the chef at the towns hotel where the players were staying devised the dish, thinking it would resemble a toad rising from the eighteenth, and served it that night.

Now that is what you call a dish with an interesting history to go along with it. But then again, I am discovering that this is true of most of the food over here. It all has a lovely history to go along with it, which is truly delightful!

I found a recipe in a Delia cookbook, her "How to Cook" series and I tried it out. (You can always rely on Delia) This was the cadillac of Toad in the Hole recipes and included a lovely version of an onion gravy as well. I was hooked!!! It quickly became a family favourite, although I have since found a much easier way of doing it.

To be sure, it is quite simply sausages baked in the oven with a delicious Yorkshire pudding batter baked around them, but there is an art to making a good one. I made this for my boys the first time they came over for a visit and they fell in love with it. I always serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots . . . and a good gravy is a must!!!



*Toad In The Hole*
Serves 2 to 3
Printable Recipe

2 large Eggs
4 oz (125g) Plain Flour
1/4 Pint (150ml) Milk
1/4 Pint (150ml) Cold Water
Salt & Pepper
6 Good Quality Herby Sausages of your choosing (I like Cumberland myself)
2 tbsp Lard or Dripping or Cooking Oil*

On a low heat cook the Sausages in a frying pan on all sides until nicely browned and sticky. Do not prick the skins! Allow to cool.

Crack open the eggs into a large measuring jug and beat well. Add the milk and water together, mixing it all together really well. Set aside.

Sift the the flour into a large bowl and season with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking until you have a stiff but smooth batter with no lumps. Allow to rest for half an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Slip the lard or oil into a deep sided baking tin and place just this in the oven. Once it is quite hot and the fat is sizzling, quickly, but carefully, take it out and rest on the top of the hob. Pour in the Batter mixture. Then add the Sausages, parallel to each other, the length of the tin.

Place back into the oven and bake for around half an hour until the batter is puffed up, golden brown and crispy. Serve cut into squares with fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy of your own choosing.

Speedy Berry Cake

 

Just prior to going away on holidays recently, I had a bowl of fresh raspberries that needed to be used up. I know . . . . I could have just thrown them into the freezer, to be taken out and used up at a later date, but, really . . . fresh raspberries, during raspberry season are a real shame to lock away in the freezer, when you could be enjoying them fresh as can be.

I baked this lovely cake to take with us on our trip. We had some of it that night and then the rest of it was sliced and packed away, wrapped up in some cling film.

Trust me when I say, that this got tastier with every day that passed . . .

*Speedy Berry Cake*
Makes one 9 inch cake
Printable Recipe

Is this a cake or a tart? I don't know for sure. It goes together like a cake but ends up looking a bit like a tart. All I really know for sure, is that it's rich, and buttery and very, very delicious!

120g ( 4 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
135g ( 4 3/4 ounces) caster sugar
120g ( 4 1/2 ounces) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 large egg
90g ( 3 1/2 ounces) fresh or frozen berries (any kind will do, or even a mixture)
1 TBS plain flour
softened butter, to grease the tin and some dried bread crumbs as well

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 inch cake tin with a removable bottom well, and then dust it with some dried bread crumbs. Set aside.

Place the butter and the sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir this into the cooled butter mixture. Beat in the egg. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.

Toss the berries together with the remaining TBS of flour. Shake off any excess, then sprinkle them evenly over top of the batter. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden and tests done.

The World's Best Bacon Buttie

There is nothing on earth as simple or as delicious as a bacon sarnie, bacon bap or bacon buttie, bacon sandwich . . . no matter what you call it, it's heavenly bliss.

When we were living up in Chester and working at a very busy service station together, my husband and I sold literally hundreds of bacon baguettes every single morning to hungry customers that would line up around the shop, mostly builders and truckers I think. We sold them by the halves and by the wholes, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, stogged full of *greasy bacon* baguettes. We also sold sausage ones, and bacon and sausage ones. Six and twelve inches of white breaded goodness crammed full of grease and cholesterol. I used to go home stinking of bacon and sausage each night, and wonder what the big deal was. I tried one once, and it didn't taste all that good to me, probably because they used cheap sausages and bacon. As anyone who is a Connoisseur of the finer things in life can tell you, cheap meat is just plain nasty, especially when it comes to sausage and bacon...

The bacon sandwich when done right though, plain and simple, is one of life's greater pleasures, not to be missed in the scheme of 100 things that one must do and experience in this lifetime.



One must be sure however, to use really good quality bacon. I like to use free range organic dry cured bacon myself. It satisfies my tree hugging need to be a responsable consumer of things, and I happen to think happy pigs taste better.

As far as bread goes, I think good old soft white bread tastes the best, not the cheapest but neither the most expensive. A good middle of the range bread works just fine, something like aKingsmill's Everyday medium white loaf works wonderfully for me!

*The Worlds Best Bacon Buttie*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Soft white bread, grilled bacon with crisp edges, brown sauce . . . delicious . . . need I say more?

6 - 8 rashers of rindless smoked or unsmoked back bacon
light olive oil
4 slices of white bread
HP brown sauce or Heinz Ketchup (whichever you prefer)

To get a really crisp edge on your bacon, snip a few small cuts in the fat around each rasher. This also helps to keep it from curling up too much when you are cooking it.

Put a large skillet over medium high heat and heat until it is hot. Add the olive oil and heat to a shimmer before adding the bacon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until it's as crispy as you like it.

Lay two slices of bread out on the counter and divide the bacon between them, allowing the juices to soak into the bread. Spread the remaining two slices of bread with either the brown sauce or the ketchup and place sauce side down into the pan drippings. Cook for several minutes until all the pan juices are soaked into the saucy bread. Place the bread slices, sauce side down on top of the bacon covered slices. Place onto warm plates, cut in half and serve straight away. Enjoy!

Treacle Syrup Sponge

I guess I have always held a soft spot for England. As a child I used to devour anything I could get my hands on that was written by Enid Blyton, and as I read those books they carried me away to a land I could only dream about.



I read about boarding schools and tuck boxes and lovely treats like cherry cakes and cinder toffee. Those kids had wonderful adventures and to a budding foodie, even better food . . . much more exciting than anything that I had ever experienced at home. I would dream of tucking into sticky toffee puddings with lashings of cream. Don't you just love that word . . . lashings . . . it conjures up such a wonderful image of a lovely dessert just swimming in rich goodness and lip smacking delight.

One dessert that was mentioned over and over again was Treacle Sponge. I had no idea what treacle was but in my mind it sounded exotic and wonderful, and most certainly the characters in the books I was reading certainly enjoyed it!

There are two types of treacle over here, dark treacle, which is very similar to molasses, but much, much stronger. When I first came over here I made the mistake of thinking that it was just the same and made some gingersnaps for some of the ladies at my church one evening when they came over and they were horrible!!!


Highly inedible. One only needs a little bit of it to get the same impact as the mild molasses we are used to in North America. Lesson learned. When I use it now I mix it half and half with the other Treacle, light treacle, or Golden Syrup. Much much more palatable.

Golden syrup is one of my great discoveries over here in the UK. Quite similar to corn syrup from back home, but so much more flavourful, with a delicious caramel undertone. I could easily eat spoonfuls of this stuff, which I could never do with plain old corn syrup.



It's also the basis for the perfect British Pudding, which over here is another name for dessert . . . Treacle Sponge Pudding . . . a delicious steamed pudding crowned with glorious golden syrup, seeping down a soft rich sponge and soaking into it's surface and gilding it with luscious thick syrupy caramel goodness. This is the stuff that comfort is made of . . . this is the ultimate dessert of all my Enid Blyton inspired childhood dreams . . .



Dig out your scales for this one and don't forget the custard . . . lashings of it are a given!!!

*Treacle Syrup Sponge*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

75g softened unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
75g light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
100g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
1tbsp milk
For the sauce:
3tbsp Golden Syrup, plus extra to serve
4tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Butter a one-pint pudding basin. Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they’re soft and light. Gradually add the beaten egg, sieve in the flour and baking powder and add the milk. Beat until it’s thoroughly blended, and you have a dropping consistency. Pour the mixture into the basin, making a nice level surface with the back of a spoon.

Line a sheet of foil with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fold to make a pleat in the centre this will allow for expansion as the pudding rises. Cover the basin with the foil and wrap it firmly around the rim. Then tie with a piece of string to secure it in place. (I actually use a rubber band. The post man is always leaving them behind and they come in very handy for all sorts!)

Stand the basin in a steamer or a pan of simmering water, put the lid on the pan and steam for 1½ hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary.

Combine the syrup and orange juice in a small pan and heat gently.

When the pudding’s cooked, remove it from the pan, unwrap it and ease the pudding away from the basin with a palette knife. Turn out onto a warmed plate and spoon over loads of golden syrup. Finally, pour the warm orange syrup over and serve.